MLB Player News

Hedges is considered day-to-day after an X-ray on his right hand came back negative, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Hedges had to leave Monday's exhibition against the Diamondbacks after being hit by a pitch. He has a bone bruise but managed to avoid any fractures. Hedges should be healthy enough to open the season as the Guardians' No. 2 catcher behind starter Bo Naylor.

Ruiz will be the Nationals' starting catcher to begin the season, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 27-year-old switch hitter could get pushed by prospect Harry Ford later in the year, but at least to begin the campaign, Ford will be at Triple-A. Ruiz has seen his offense decline significantly since a career-best 2023 in which he posted 18 homers and a .717 OPS over 136 games, and if he isn't able to rebound, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him lose his starting job over the summer. Ruiz has managed just a .184/.295/.289 slash line in 16 spring games, albeit with a 5:5 BB:K.

Del Castillo (calf) will begin the season on the injured list, MLB.com reports.

Del Castillo reported to Diamondbacks camp with a left calf injury and didn't play in any Cactus League games, so it's not a surprise he's destined for the IL. It's unclear how far along he is in his rehab or how much time he might miss. Once healthy, Del Castillo could be assigned to Triple-A Reno.

Hedges left Monday's exhibition against the Diamondbacks after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Hedges was hit by a pitch during his lone at-bat of the evening in the ninth inning, and he was unable to continue. He'll presumably be sent for further evaluation and can be considered day-to-day until the team has another update to share.

The Mets released Barnes on Sunday.

Barnes signed a minor-league deal with the Mets over the offseason and was brought in to big-league camp to compete for a roster spot, but he'll test free agency after failing to secure a place on the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 13 games for the Dodgers last season and hit .214 with two RBI and four runs in 42 at-bats.

Rogers cleared concussion protocol Monday and will be available for Opening Day, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Rogers suffered a concussion at some point down the stretch of spring training, but it won't impact his availability for the start of the 2026 season. "He's already caught a couple of bullpens today and hit in the cage," said manager A.J. Hinch on Monday. "I'm going to get him a couple of at-bats tonight. Tomorrow, he'll catch part of the game." The 30-year-old is in line to open his sixth major-league season as the backup catcher behind Dillon Dingler.

The Orioles reassigned Handley to minor-league camp Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Handley logged 47 plate appearances in the majors in 2025 while the Orioles contended with multiple injuries at catcher, but the 28-year-old was never viewed as anything more than a stopgap option and was dropped from the 40-man roster over the winter. He'll remain part of the Orioles organization for the 2026 campaign, but he's likely to spend the entire season at Triple-A Norfolk unless Baltimore is down two of Adley Rutschman, Samuel Basallo and Sam Huff at any point.

The Red Sox reassigned Thaiss to minor-league camp Monday.

Thaiss attending spring training as a non-roster invitee but didn't make much of a push for a backup catcher spot on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster after posting a .560 OPS over 27 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League. With Boston also optioning Mickey Gasper to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, the Red Sox will head into Opening Day with Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong as their two catchers. Thaiss' minor-league deal contains an upward mobility clause that would allow him to pursue opportunities elsewhere, but he intends to remain in the organization and report to Worcester to begin the season, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

Moreno started at catcher and went 3-for-4 with a double and two solo home runs in Sunday's spring game against the Padres.

Moreno was back behind the plate for the first time in two weeks. He dealt with forearm tightness for a stretch and returned to action last Thursday as the designated hitter. Now that Moreno is defending again, it looks like there will be no limitations for the catcher heading into Opening Day. He's batting .242 (6-for-33) with three homers and five RBI through 11 Cactus League contests. He and James McCann will split duties behind the plate, although Moreno could garner additional plate appearances as a DH when not behind the dish.

Lee will not be a part of the Opening Day roster with the White Sox, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Lee is set to be the odd man out after Chicago signed Reese McGuire to a one-year deal Sunday. Lee is getting moved/released by the team in the near future according to manager Will Venable, per Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. Lee remains with the organization for the time being, and he's batting ninth in a spring game against the Mariners on Sunday night. To this point in spring training, he has produced a .297 average with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs scored and four stolen bases over 37 at-bats in 14 contests.